Abuja
Abuja Residents Lament Disruption Of Schools, Health Centres Over LG Workers’ Strike
Abuja Residents Lament Disruption Of Schools, Health Centres Over LG Workers’ Strike
Abuja Residents lament disruption of schools, health centres over LG workers’ strike. Another resident, Luka Malo, expressed frustration, describing area councils as the closest tier of government to the grassroots.
Residents of Bwari Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have decried disruptions to basic services in public schools and primary healthcare centres following an ongoing strike by local government workers.
The residents, who spoke in seperate interviews with journalists on Tuesday, described the situation as distressing, saying the shutdown had worsened hardship for families dependent on public facilities.
The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), FCT Chapter, had directed its members to commence an indefinite strike from Tuesday, January 27.
The union explained that the strike was in solidarity with workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) over unpaid entitlements and promotion arrears affecting area council staff.
According to NULGE, the decision followed directives from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and NULGE national body.
A resident, Aisha Babale, said that she took her baby to one of the community primary healthcare centres to be treated for an ailment, only to find out that they had commenced a strike.
”I couldn’t do anything, I just broke down crying because I didn’t know what else to do or where to run to and we have no money for the big hospital.
”I just wanted them to test my baby for malaria and typhoid and get drugs if need be but they said the staff are not available.
”This is getting exhausting and tiring every time. I pray that they pity the masses and resolve their issues with the government soon enough to help us,” she said.
Another resident, Luka Malo, expressed frustration, describing area councils as the closest tier of government to the grassroots, which he said should always function effectively.
”When the councils stop working, the people feel it immediately because there’s always a delay in accessing health and administrative services.
”This should not be so. It is not as if we even had prompt services in the first place, not to mention it being stopped totally. It is unfair to the communities,” he said.
A public servant, Theophilus Shemang, warned that prolonged disruption could weaken grassroots administration and erode public trust in government institutions.
Protes
Ms Shemang recalled that a previous strike disrupted an entire school term, forcing pupils in public schools to resume when private school pupils were on holiday.
He urged the FCT Administration and council authorities to urgently engage union leaders to prevent further hardship for residents, especially children and vulnerable groups.
The Bwari NULGE leader, Emmanuel Ishaku, said there was no official timeline for suspending the strike.
Mr Ishaku explained that the union was uncertain when services would resume, stressing that workers were committed to pressing their welfare demands.
A correspondent who visited the council secretariat observed that the institution was operating at skeletal levels, with most administrative services suspended.
The correspondent also observed that many public school gates remained shut, forcing pupils to stay at home and widening learning gaps in the community.
FCTA Confirms Antivenom Stock, Warns Negligent Hospitals, Gives Emergency Lines
FCTA confirms antivenom stock, warns negligent hospitals, gives emergency lines. The FCTA said all public hFCTA confirms antivenom stock, warns negligent hospitals, gives emergency linesospitals have sufficient antivenom after singer Ifunanya Nwangene’s death at FMC Jabi. Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe warned facilities to follow protocols or face sanctions, stressing that early treatment is critical.
FCTA
The territory has added 12 ambulances, improved ICUs, and centralized antivenom storage.
Residents are urged to use emergency lines 090157892931 or 090157892932.
FCT Police Warn NLC Against Planned Abuja Protest, Say Proscribed Groups Plot To Hijack
FCT Police warn NLC against planned Abuja protest, say proscribed groups plot to hijack. The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) police command has warned the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) against its planned protest scheduled for Tuesday in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
The NLC leadership had fixed February 3 for a solidarity rally along with members of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria and the Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC) at the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) secretariat in Garki Area 11.
The NLC declared that the rally is to publicly affirm that “an injury to one is an injury to all”, adding that the Nigerian labour movement will not abandon its members.
On January 24, the labour body declared support for the indefinite strike by workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), describing the action as “necessary and heroic” in response to alleged violation of workers’ rights.
In a statement, Joe Ajaero, NLC president, said the labour union stood “in very strong solidarity” with FCTA workers under the aegis of JUAC.
Ajaero described the strike as “a necessary and heroic response to a vicious cocktail of neoliberal attacks, gross administrative impunity, and a systematic violation of the fundamental rights of workers by the FCTA management and its political leadership”.
However, in a statement on Monday, Josephine Adeh, FCT police spokesperson, said the command respects the constitutional right to peaceful assembly, but noted that intelligence reports indicate “plans by proscribed groups and other non-state actors to infiltrate and hijack the protest, posing a risk to public peace and safety”.
Adeh said in the interest of public safety, the organisers should consider rescheduling the protest to prevent any breakdown of law and order and to protect lives, property, and the rights of other residents.
Police
“The Command remains committed to safeguarding all lawful activities and urges residents to continue cooperating with security agencies to keep the FCT peaceful and secure,” the statement reads.
Meanwhile, the national industrial court has reportedly issued an interim order restraining the NLC, TUC and JUAC from embarking on the planned protest.
The court had earlier ordered workers on the payroll of the FCT administration to suspend the strike.
Emmanuel Subilim, the presiding judge, held that although the matter before the court amounted to a trade dispute, the defendants’ right to embark on industrial action was not absolute.
Akwa Ibom Indigenes Protest RMAFC Meeting, Warn Against Tampering With State’s Oil Wells
Akwa Ibom indigenes protest RMAFC meeting, warn against tampering with State’s Oil Wells. Akwa Ibom indigenes resident in Abuja on Tuesday stormed the venue of a meeting of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), where the Inter-Agency Technical Committee (IATC) on Disputed/New Oil Wells was sitting, to protest what they described as attempts to reopen a matter already settled by the Supreme Court.
The protesters cautioned that no individual or agency should tamper with Akwa Ibom State’s 76 oil wells, stressing that the ownership of the wells was conclusively determined in favour of the state by the Supreme Court in 2012.
They insisted that any move to revisit the issue through administrative or technical processes would amount to a disregard for the authority of the apex court and could undermine peace in the Niger Delta region.
Akwa Ibom State was formally represented at the IATC meeting by a high-powered delegation comprising leading legal practitioners, government officials and technocrats. Members of the delegation included Paul Usoro, SAN; Assam Assam, SAN; the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Uko Udom, SAN; Uwemedimo Nwoko, SAN; Emmanuel Enoidem, SAN; and a former Attorney-General of Akwa Ibom State.
Akwa Ibom Indigenes Protest RMAFC Meeting
Also on the state’s delegation were the Commissioner for Finance, Mr Emem Bob, Former Attorney General and Commissioner Justice, Barr. Ekpenyong Ntekim; the Commissioner for Information, Dr. Aniekan Umanah; Honourable Member representing Ikot Ekpene Federal Constituency, Dr Patrick Umoh, among others.
The delegation is expected to present Akwa Ibom State’s position before the committee, reiterating that the Supreme Court judgment remains final and binding, and urging all relevant federal agencies to respect and uphold the ruling.
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